Meet the Mayor: Lauren McLean
The U.S. Conference of Mayors represents more than 1,400 mayors across the country. Our Meet the Mayor series is designed to highlight their work on behalf of America’s cities.
Lauren McLean was elected in 2019 as the 56th Mayor of the City of Boise and is the first elected female Mayor in the city’s 150-year history. Learn more about Mayor McLean:
What are your top three priorities/challenges?
Our top three priorities are creating more affordable housing, taking bold action on climate change, and building a resilient economy. These priorities help us set a course for our work to create a city for everyone.
Like most everywhere, we need more affordable housing. We are working to create affordable homes for roommates working full-time in a restaurant, a single mom working as an administrative assistant, or two parents working minimum wage jobs. We’ve accomplished a lot in this space. We helped 1,674 renting families avoid eviction with ERAP (Emergency Rental Assistance Program) dollars. We’ve housed 314 families in our own city rental housing. Thanks to our city land trust, 370 Affordable housing units are in the pipeline now. We will do much more to create and preserve 2,500 affordable homes in the next five years.
We are committed to protecting our clean air and clean water, improving our parks, preserving open spaces, and creating pathways that unite neighborhoods and connect us. Boise has a longstanding history of environmental stewardship and is leading the way to address the complex challenges that climate change presents to our community. We are implementing our Climate Action Roadmap which identifies an ambitious but achievable plan for our community to be carbon neutral by 2050 and our city operations by 2035. Following the adoption of our community goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035, Boise is working with our electric utility and community partners to increase renewable electricity generation and procurement opportunities for all customers. Taking this kind of climate action improves the overall health of the entire community.
We are building a new, improved, and resilient economy that uplifts everyone, with family wage jobs and access to opportunities. We are implementing an Economic Development Strategic Plan that prioritizes economic opportunity, inclusivity, mobility, transparency, and innovation. The City of Boise is cultivating an innovative business environment, one that supports sustainable economic opportunities and long-term resilience through investments that benefit everyone. We continue to attract and expand businesses that reflect Boise’s character and complement existing businesses to meet employee needs. These are collaborative processes, as we meet regularly with business leaders on how we can help and support them.
What is your most memorable day as mayor so far?
It was November 2, 2021. That’s when Boiseans overwhelmingly approved the Water Renewal Bond with more than 80% of the vote. Some in the media called this one of the biggest climate initiatives the city has seen in decades. It was inspiring to see such a strong message of support from the people of Boise. They made it clear they not only were willing to fund critical improvements in their water infrastructure, but also protect our pristine Boise River and center Boise as a climate and clean water leader.
Is there an upcoming project or program in your city that you’re especially excited about?
Early in 2022, the Boise City Council approved our Boise Pathways Master Plan. It outlines over 112 miles of off-street pathways in every neighborhood in Boise. Most of these pathways are identified along canal access roads, railroad easements, parks, and other areas with open space.
We are working to ensure that our residents can connect to opportunities when and where they exist. The Pathways Master Plan helps us achieve that. Currently only 10% of Boiseans live within walking distance of a pathway. This plan will bring that number to 76%. After years of citizens working on this effort alongside bicycle/pedestrian nonprofits and transportation advocates, the City built a plan that we’re now ready to execute on. We’re breaking ground on at least one project this year.
What is something most of your colleagues don’t know about you?
I love french fries and tater tots. I’ll eat them anywhere and everywhere, though I like them best here at home where we serve them with fry sauce. They fuel my love of trail running in the hills above our beautiful city, where I train throughout the year for trail marathons and ultras.
Tune in next Monday for a new Meet the Mayor spotlight!
